I'm new to the digital/HD TV world. I have yet to totally understand when a program (esp. an HD program) should display full screen on its own as opposed to stretching it manually (or in settings). The local stations that broadcast in HD very often (especially during news broadcasts) display in what is discribed as pillarbox (vertical bars on left and right). I guess I expected that all HD programming would fill my screen.

Here is my equipment:
Sharp Aquos HD 32" Widescreen LCD (1366 x 768)
TWC using a SA 8300HDC cable box using component connections

I have gone through the STB setup and informed it that I am using a widesceen HDTV. I currently have all possible resolutions enabled. I have experimented with the passthrough, fixed, and upconvert settings and that doesn't seem to make a difference.
Any info you can give me would be very appreciated!

Most stations that are sending an HD signal upconvert SD 4:3 material to HD resolution and pass the the signal in the original aspect ratio. This requires adding pillar boxes to the material. This means that the pillars are part of the HD signal and are not generated by the STB or display. This is the PROPER way to display video material. SD stations will of course be stretched from 4:3 to 16:9 by your STB or display, unless you have either set to add pillar boxes for 4:3 material.

Some stations (like TNT :( ) stretch 4:3 material to 16:9 before broadcasting it.

if it's pillarboxed, that usually means it's actually a standard def signal on an HD channel. Just because a channel is HD doesn't mean that all the programming on that channel is HD.

It may be true that not all programming will be HD, however I do know that the news broadcasts (as well as some other shows) are advertised as HD but are pillarboxed. I guess I will have to watch them as is or stretch (and distort) them.
Thanks

Not all newscasts are pillorboxed. My Capital Broadcasting stations (WRAL and WRAZ) do their news in glorious 16:9 HDTV :D

It may be true that not all programming will be HD, however I do know that the news broadcasts (as well as some other shows) are advertised as HD but are pillarboxed. I guess I will have to watch them as is or stretch (and distort) them.Even affiliates that do news in HD...don't necessarily do all news in HD.

If it's pillarboxed, [and it's not an old movie] then it's not HD. Simple as that.

however I do know that the news broadcasts (as well as some other shows) are advertised as HD but are pillarboxed.
I doubt that you are watching the HD broadcast. I've never heard of a live HD broadcast in 4:3. I think that you need to find another cable channel that is broadcasting the same thing but truly in HD. And it will be 16:9.

Ed

As an example: our local CBS affiliate is WRGB. Their SD broadcast is on channel 6. Their HD broadcast is on 1806. All of TWC HDTV broadcasts are in the 1800s. I just scrolled through some of the HD broadcasts (1800's). The CBS Late Show is full screen (not stretch), FOX Family Guy (pillar), ABC Nightline (pillar), NBC Tonight Show (full screen). So I guess each network does it's own thing? If that is the case it's to bad. It would be nice if there were a consistancy and all were 16:9.

FOX Family Guy (pillar), ABC Nightline (pillar)

These shows were produced in 4:3 SD and upconverted to HD by interpolating pixels and adding blank pillarbars on the sides. Most of the OTA broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, CW, MyNetwork) do this when showing SD material. It's not practical or maybe even not possible to switch the broadcast data stream between SD (480i) and HD (720p or 1080i depending on the network) on the fly. It will be several years before they replace all their SD cameras and production equipment with HD versions, or even 16:9 SD versions. In a business, you need a good financial reason to get rid of equipment before it reaches the end of the lifespan that was anticipated for it, because you have to write off the remaining undepreciated value on the minus side of your books.

PBS does show some 16:9 SD material on its HD channel, but that too is upconverted to HD for broadcast.

If it's pillarboxed, [and it's not an old movie] then it's not HD. Simple as that.

Well, no. I can think of one exception, which is Northern Exposure on HDNet. It was originally shot on film 4x3, and that's how it was telecined to HD.